Global growth, local hiring

Autotask's overseas expansion leads to more jobs in East Greenbush

Updated 11:22 pm, Saturday, April 21, 2012

The main computer room at Autotask on April 12, 2012 in East Greenbush, N.Y. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

The main computer room at Autotask on April 12, 2012 in East...

Interior of Autotask on April 12, 2012 in East Greenbush, N.Y. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

Interior of Autotask on April 12, 2012 in East Greenbush, N.Y....

Josette Valenti, vice president of human resources, and Mark Cattini, president and CEO, stand next to a banner that hangs at Autotask on April 12, 2012 in East Greenbush, N.Y. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

Josette Valenti, vice president of human resources, and Mark...

Josette Valenti, vice president of human resources, and Mark Cattini, president and CEO, stand next to a poster that stands in Autotask on April 12, 2012 in East Greenbush, N.Y. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

Josette Valenti, vice president of human resources, and Mark...

Josette Valenti, vice president of human resources, and Mark Cattini, president and CEO, stand in a board room at Autotask on April 12, 2012 in East Greenbush, N.Y. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

Josette Valenti, vice president of human resources, and Mark...

Awards are on display in a hallway at Autotask on April 12, 2012 in East Greenbush, N.Y. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

Awards are on display in a hallway at Autotask on April 12, 2012 in...

Toy figurines are displayed over an engineers desk at Autotask on April 12, 2012 in East Greenbush, N.Y. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

Toy figurines are displayed over an engineers desk at Autotask on...

Office space at Autotask on April 12, 2012 in East Greenbush, N.Y. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

Office space at Autotask on April 12, 2012 in East Greenbush, N.Y....

Front lobby of Autotask on April 12, 2012 in East Greenbush, N.Y. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

Front lobby of Autotask on April 12, 2012 in East Greenbush, N.Y....

Exterior of Autotask on April 12, 2012 in East Greenbush, N.Y. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)

ALBANY — At a time when much of the economy seems to be merely running in place, many companies in the Capital Region are growing — and hiring.

That may be at odds with a local unemployment rate of 8 percent, which is roughly the same as a year ago, according to the latest state Labor Department figures.

But there are bright spots in the local economy — and many of them are among those recognized as "Top Workplaces" by the Times Union this year, such as Autotask Corp., a software company in East Greenbush that has about 140 local employees.

It's likely you've never heard of Autotask. The software it supplies is used by companies that sell computer networking services to help them manage their billing and other administrative tasks.

But the company, founded in 2001 by local entrepreneur Bob Godgart, who left the company last fall to launch a new social media venture, is in a major growth mode these days — opening new offices across the globe — which also fuels job growth here at home.

Mark Cattini, Autotask's CEO, says the company has already hired 30 people this year and is projecting a total of 75 new hires by August with new offices in Australia, England, Germany and China. That international expansion means new inside sales, engineering and finance jobs in East Greenbush to support what will be 253 employees by yearend.

"We saw the opportunity," Cattini said about translating its software into six other languages. "But business growth around the world means business growth here at home."

Autotask is one of the "Top Workplaces" that ramped up hiring last year and isn't slowing down. Others include H&V Collision Centers, which recently opened its fourth location in Wilton, and Excelsior College of Albany, one of the largest online educational institutions in the United States. Clough Harbour & Associates, the Colonie-based engineering and construction management firm that has more than 425 local employees, is planning an additional 80 hires this year.

Overall, the local hiring outlook is positive yet somewhat tepid. The annual business climate survey by Marvin & Co. and the University at Albany School of Business released in February shows that nearly 95 percent of local businesses planned to maintain employment levels this year or, in some cases, to add employees — a very slight increase over last year.

Donald Siegel, the dean at UAlbany's business school, says many of his students come from the New York City area, but they stay here when they graduate, either because they found local jobs or started their own businesses here. A lot of that has to do with the burgeoning high-tech economy, he said.

For instance, a number of his grads have gotten jobs at the $4.6 billion GlobalFoundries computer chip factory in Saratoga County in positions such as human resources and information systems.

Siegel said accounting and finance businesses are also hiring again as government regulation of the banking system and Wall Street, and the need for forensic accounting, have increased following the financial collapse of 2008.

Another plus for the local economy is that venture capitalists and so-called "angel" investors are taking a more prominent role.

While Albany has always leaned on state government to create jobs, new private investment funds such as Eastern New York Angels have plowed $350,000 into two local start-ups since November, Ener-G-Rotors in Rotterdam and The Paper Battery Co. in Troy.

"In both companies we've funded, they immediately hired more staff," said Richard Frederick, one of the fund's founding members.